States that Vaccinate the Most (2026)

Vaccinations are some of the most valuable contributions to modern medicine. They have drastically reduced the prevalence of certain diseases, including polio, tetanus, measles and chickenpox. One disease, smallpox, has even been eradicated completely, with no natural cases since 1977. Most recently, we developed vaccines for COVID-19, which drastically cut down cases and deaths, allowing the country to get back to normal.

Vaccines are most effective when a large portion of the population gets them, so it’s important to make sure people are educated about the importance of vaccines and how much good they have done for public health. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that vaccines prevent around 3.5 to 5 million deaths per year. Vaccines are also very safe. According to the WHO, more serious side effects from vaccines are extremely rare, and investigations into reported adverse events rarely determine that the vaccine itself was the cause.

In order to see where people are most responsible about getting vaccines, WalletHub examined the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 16 key metrics. Our data set ranges from the rates of children, teens and adults vaccinated against various diseases to the share of people without health insurance.

Main Findings

Vaccination Rates by State

Notes: *No. 1 = Vaccinates the Most

With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that state, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.

In-Depth Look at the States That Vaccinate the Most

Vermont

Vermont is the state with the best vaccination coverage. Nearly 87% of babies under three years old have received the combined seven-vaccine series, the highest rate in the country. In addition, nearly 96% of teens have received the Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis) vaccination. Vermont has one of the highest rates of influenza vaccination coverage for children, helping protect young residents against seasonal illness.

Vaccination also remains high among adults in Vermont. The state has the highest share of adults vaccinated against tetanus, the best flu vaccine coverage, and the seventh-highest share of at-risk adults with a pneumococcal vaccination.

Finally, Vermont has the highest share of the population over 60 years who have received the Zoster vaccinations, which means the state has been relatively effective in promoting preventive healthcare measures among its older residents, too.

Massachusetts

Massachusetts is the state that vaccinates the second-most. It’s also one of only 18 states that allow minors to receive vaccinations without parental consent, allowing young people with anti-vaccine parents to choose to become protected anyway. Massachusetts requires children to be vaccinated against common diseases before attending kindergarten, too.

Massachusetts has high levels of vaccination for all major diseases, including seasonal coverage. It has the third-highest share of adults with flu vaccinations, at over 55%, and the second-highest rate for children, at over 68%.

To top things off, the Bay State has the third-highest share of residents participating in an “information immunization system,” which is a confidential online database recording vaccination data about a particular geographic area. This helps inform people about how safe a certain area is from disease outbreaks.

New Hampshire

New Hampshire ranks third among the states that vaccinate the most. It ranks fifth in the nation when it comes to HPV vaccination among teens ages 13 to 17 and 16th for the flu vaccination rate among children.

New Hampshire also has the seventh-highest share of babies under three years old who have the combined seven-vaccine series, which prevents multiple common illnesses, such as polio, tetanus and hepatitis B. In addition, New Hampshire requires children to be vaccinated against major diseases before attending kindergarten.

When it comes to adults, the Granite State has the sixth-highest flu vaccine coverage. It also has the third-highest share of adults at high risk for pneumococcal disease who have the pneumococcal vaccination.

The methodology can be found on the full version of the article on WalletHub.